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About Joyce Clark

Contact information for Councilmember Joyce Clark
Home: 623-772-9795
Cell: 602-320-3422
Office: 623-930-2249
Please call between the hours of 9 AM - 5 PM
Email:
clarkjv@aol.com
jclark@glendaleaz.com
Joyce Clark is a 49 year resident of Glendale. She has a BA in History and Education and graduated from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Her past careers include teacher of high school history, small business ownership of a book store, a professional ceramist and was the founder of a retail craft gallery. Joyce and her husband, Charles, have three children and seven grandchildren.

Joyce was first elected as your Yucca district Councilmember in 1992 and served Glendale and the Yucca district from 1992 to 1996. Joyce took a four year break from public service when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s to personally care for her. In 2000 she successfully ran again for Yucca district councilmember as a write in candidate against the incumbent. She is the only candidate in Arizona to achieve a write in victory over an incumbent. She was your voice for the Yucca district for 16 years.

Joyce retired in December, 2012, and as a private citizen Joyce did many of the things she never had the time to pursue. Two of those are the tender care and feeding of her koi pond and blog writing on issues in Glendale, Arizona.

In March of 2016, Joyce announced that she would leave retirement and run for the Yucca district council seat in Glendale. Once again Joyce defeated an incumbent and on December 13, 2016 she took office as the Yucca district councilmember for another four year term, ending in December of 2020.

Joyce is the only elected official in the State of Arizona to have defeated an incumbent as a write-in candidate and then to defeat a second, different incumbent as a candidate.

It has been 17 years and 95 days since the city’s pledge to build the West Branch Library.

For 4 years, from the time Jerry Moyes declared the team bankrupt in 2009 until the end of 2012, as a councilmember I was part of the high drama surrounding the Arizona Coyotes and the arena, a city owned facility. Suitors to buy the team came and went with regularity. The city paid the NHL $25 million a year to manage the arena while everyone desperately hunted for a new owner. In 2013 a new city council was seated and promptly approved the current management agreement of $15 million dollars paid annually to IceArizona, the new owners of the team. If truth be told that $15 million goes directly to Fortress Lending and the NHL as interest payments on the IceArizona’s purchase debt owed by LeBlanc, Gosbee, and et.al. If you remember the cash raised for the team purchase was approximately $45 million. The rest of the purchase price of $170 million was strictly debt. Today Andrew Barroway is the majority owner (51%) of the team.

A recent article on March 30, 2015, by Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal entitled Could the Phoenix Suns, city build a new arena at Phoenix Convention Center site? It is intriguing to say the least. Sunnucks reports on speculation about where the Phoenix Suns will be playing its games in the future, “ ‘US Airways Center is owned by the city of Phoenix and the Suns lease doesn’t expire until 2029’, according to city spokeswoman Deb Ostreicher. The Suns could look to the city for renovations of the downtown arena or could look for a new home.” Sunnucks goes on to say, “One scenario being talked about — at least in real estate and downtown Phoenix circles — is a new arena being built where the current South Building of the Phoenix Convention Center is on Jefferson and Third streets. That is the oldest convention center building and is a block away from the Suns’ current arena.”

Granted all of this is extremely speculative but there is the possibility of the Phoenix owned US Airways Center becoming vacant if Phoenix and the Suns decide to build a new arena at the site of the south building of the convention center. Take it a step further and it is not outside the realm of possibility that Phoenix would attempt to lure the Arizona Coyotes to a newly renovated and vacant US Airways Center with better sight lines for hockey patrons.

Think about it. Since purchasing the team two years ago IceArizona has consistently lost money due to many factors. One of those factors has always been fan complaints about trekking out to Glendale for the games. Many in the East Valley as well as from other locations such as Tucson simply choose not to make the trip. A more centrally located arena in downtown Phoenix has a certain appeal for many.

One wonders if it appeals to Barroway. Today, 2015, the Glendale arena is 12 years old, having opened in December of 2003. In another 3 years, by 2018, the arena will be 15 years old and the Coyotes will have the available option of moving due to the opt out clause any time thereafter. One of Barroway’s imperatives is to keep the team viable over the next 3 years until some major decisions are made.

In 8 years, by 2023, the arena will be 20 years old and in need of major renovation and upgrades. In the meantime, if Barroway and the City of Phoenix worked out a deal regarding US Airways it could solve one persistent fan complaint by relocating to a more convenient and centralized location. It would certainly fulfill the owners’ mantra of “here to stay”…just not in Glendale.

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2 Comments

I have never bought the “location” issue as to the reason of the attendance problem.
There is a general issue with attendance at the arena.
Every time its brought up, an individual comes up with his/her personal story of why they can’t come to the games.
That is one individual.
There are 6 million people in Phoenix and amongst that group there are 100,000 canadians.
You’d have to believe that at least half of these folks are hockey fans.
The arena only seats 17,125.
Even taking out the young working folks who have kids and work long hours, which is a reasonable excuse of why they don’t show up, there have to be 10’s of thousands of hockey fans in the Phoenix metro area.
They aren’t showing up.
Oh, they show up…ONE TIME A YEAR.
They have a favorite team, it is not the Coyotes, they live here, enjoy life here, brag to their friends up north that they live here and use up everything their 2nd hometown has to offer them.
And that’s great. Welcome
But, they can’t figure out that it is in their interest to support NHL hockey in their 2nd home town, if for no other reason, so that they an watch NHL hockey in the future.
The point is, Barroway knows this.
Leblanc and Gosbee know this.
I think that they realize that just jumping around the valley won’t change a thing.
Move to Phoenix, the fans in Glendale, Tolleson and Peoria will complain about the location and stop coming…
It is improving here and the team marketing folks are doing an OUTSTANDING job getting a good crowd in the arena despite the product on the ice.
If you good folks don’t want them here anymore that is completely understandable and a jump will have to be done..I hope not, but after following Glendale politics and this teams saga for the past 3 years, it is understandable and I hope Barroway will keep the team here.
But, the location problem cited for so long is just not really a problem.
There IS 17,125 hockey fans in this city (many times this really) who ARE available EVERY game and the reasons that they don’t come are more frustrating than any location issue.
-regards, Only missed 3 games in 3 years.
That is just an opinion mind you.

“There are 6 million people in Phoenix”
Yes, but not all 6 million people attend hockey games, regardless if their allegiance falls to the Coyotes or one of the other NHL teams. So, spouting off the population right off the bat is wrong.

“Move to Phoenix, the fans in Glendale, Tolleson and Peoria will complain about the location and stop coming…”
If they do it’d be more sour grapes than anything. It’s a legit gripe to ask an East Valley person to drive well over an hour, in our traffic, to see a game. Where a centralized location, with better access to public transit, takes away all of those things. If the light rail dropped you off at the front door, then some complaining would stop. Light rail does not offer that nor does it plan to any time soon.